Friday, September 11, 2009

Channel That Energy!

It is quite often the case with expat Indians, that over social gatherings, email groups, facebook, twitter, and even the dinner table that passions run high about what is wrong with a certain event or thing regarding India. Friends have a good time channeling their attention and intellect in a selfless direction far from the daily grind.

However, at the end of such debates and discussions, a feeling of emptiness and / or futility often follows. It's easy to forget it and get on with the routine, but I'm sure that somewhere it adds to a feeling of helplessness in life. If this doesn't happen to you then this blog post is not for you. But if it does, here are a few constructive suggestions.

What I'm outlining below is a simple process by which you may be able to feel better the next time you do get into such a situation. Of course, these are merely suggestions based on personal experience so they may or may not work for you, but at the very least, it'll get you thinking about the topic! At least in my case, it has meant a lot to have certain things to focus on, so that I can be more composed about everything else that I might be exposed to.

I have kind of followed this path when I was an expat, but probably have meandered around a bit. The net result will, I think, be the same with the recipe below:

1. Discover Your Passion
Among all these India-related discussions, what interests you the most? What kindles your fire? What keeps you awake at night when you start thinking about it?

There may be a lot of discussions you get pulled into. You may hear about a lot of different things on radio or TV or from friends. Some may be mildly interesting to you, some others may be fascinating. Sometimes what really fires you up temporarily may not be what stays in your mind. So it's generally a good idea to give it time. Calendar time as well as mindshare. Let it sink in, until in your deepest of thoughts and even in your most relaxed moments too you know that these are the two or three things that you really care about. It could be anything: Sports, religion, culture, language, poverty, population, traffic, environment, food or for that matter education! It doesn't matter, as long as you think you will feel better when you get more involved in it. It's all about the journey, since this is not really your career we're talking about. In my case, I felt I was the most passionate about two topics: Marathi language and classical Indian culture.

2. Issues Please
So, once you've settled down on one or two topics, you can research it a bit - may be give yourself some ammo for the next heated debate that you are going to be in. It's a great idea to discuss this with friends and family, since you feel so passionately about it, you might find out for yourself from the debates how right or wrong you are. Somewhere along the way you will know the few issues that you can do something about. In this research process, you might also run across organizations or individuals who are doing something about it.

3. Help the Cause
Now that you have the specific objectives, and perhaps know people who are working roughly towards the same cause, you can make donations, spend time, bring some useful goodies on your next trip back to India. Many US-based charities allow you to make "earmarked" donations that are specific to a cause, and you might get a tax-break on them too (if the organization receiving the donation is an eligible organization). Because you have zeroed in on a certain charity or cause after doing a lot of research, the feeling that you are impulsively throwing away money will likely not be there.

This overall journey has been, in my case, fruitful, enriching and also helped me overcome frustrations I had otherwise felt when anything prompted me to think about various aspects of India. It will most likely give you a sense that you are utilizing your spare time in a more meaningful way and who knows, you might see the fruits of your work sooner than you think!

PS: Full Disclosure: I am an office bearer of Maharashtra Foundation, so it is in a way selfish for me to say "donate!", such that it might benefit an organization that I am on the executive committee of.